


seven first dates

by dearlyuta



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempt at Humor, First Dates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Romance, jaemin is kind of a confident gay, jeno is a panicked gay, other nct members might get introduced in the fic, supportive bffs renhyuck, there's some slight swearing in the fic, this is mostly the dreamies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-07-20 15:10:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16139852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearlyuta/pseuds/dearlyuta
Summary: Jeno is desperate to win Jaemin's heart so he enlists the help of his friends in making up cute date ideas.Chaos ensues.





	1. pretty, pretty

**Author's Note:**

> this fic has been stuck in my drafts for too long already so here you go! updates are not as frequent as you might expect so i'm sorry but i'll try my best. also some parts might not be proofread yet so please excuse any errors. i hope you enjoy reading!

To say that Jaemin is pretty is a complete understatement.

He's breathtakingly gorgeous, the kind of person that'd make people turn their heads a second time to check if he's truly an angel or not. It's his laugh that makes the sweetest melody sound so dull and his smile that can make that most beautiful painting in an art gallery appear so uncreative.

It's not like Jeno is not aware of all of that — he's _very_ aware of that.

Being friends with Jaemin makes you wonder if you saved the country in your past life because how can fate just grant you someone as sweet as Na Jaemin? Sounds impossible but Jeno's truly lucky.

But of course, being himself, it takes him a moment — well, _years_ actually — before he snaps into realization about who is Jaemin to him.

He remembers the exact moment of it. It was during one of those basketball practices he had with two of his seniors, Jaehyun and Yukhei. Under normal circumstances, he'll indulge himself completely into the game, turning strangely competitive, a surprise to his bright personality and facade.

But something made him stop in the middle of the practice that day, sneakers rubbing against the floor too loudly as his gaze travelled to where his friends are seated on the bleachers. It must have been the way Jaemin threw his head back with a laugh as Renjun and Donghyuck argued about something irrelevant that Jeno actually lost himself.

He saw the twinkle shining too brightly in Jaemin's eyes as he attempted to stifle another laugh from leaving his lips and his heart just straight out drops to the ground.

But in all honesty, the reason why he couldn't forget that moment is because he's too spaced out that moment, his heart in the middle of falling when—

_BAM!_

"Oh fuck! Sorry, Jeno!" Yukhei called out as Jeno rubbed the side of his head, palm pressing lightly against it before he hurriedly checks for any signs of injuries. He didn't even see the basketball roll off on the floor as he attempted to walk back to the bench, wincing as he took a seat.

"Jeno! Are you okay?" Jaemin slipped up next to him so fast that Jeno almost falls over, yelping as he gripped the edge of the bench to balance himself. It's the grip on his arm and the way Jaemin is so, so near to him that—

_Oh, he's so pretty. I want to kiss him._

It's also the first time that Jeno has the realization that he might be not as straight as he first thought of himself to be.

And well, the way he was hit on the head with the basketball?

It might not be the last time that it happened.

-

"Let me count how many times you got hit—"

"Please, don't."

"What kind of friends are we if we don't remind you of your most embarrassing moments?" Donghyuck wraps his arm around Jeno's shoulder whilst playfully pinching his cheek, mocking him with a cheeky smile etched on his lips.

"Hyuck is right. Besides, you're always embarrassing so it's fun to recount it every day." Renjun stifles a laugh as Jeno lets out a whine, trying to untangle himself out of the way but Donghyuck and Renjun only press themselves against his sides, trapping him in their hold.

"You guys are horrible friends!"

"We're hurt, Jeno." Donghyuck pulls away, walking in front of the group and faces the other two boys, dramatically holding his chest while he puts on a hurt look on his face.

"Quit being dramatic, Hyuck."

"You were supposed to agree with me, Renjun! We should be teaming up to bully Jeno! I don't deserve this betrayal."

"Give him a break, guys." Jeno has never stopped walking and turned around so fast, making Renjun yelp as he accidentally elbows him at his chest. Jaemin comes into view, a laugh leaving his pair as he approaches the group and _oh my god, how does he manage to look so perfect all the time—_

"Your whipped ass is showing, Jeno." Hyuck stage-whispers from behind as Renjun snickers before a wince escapes his mouth, holding onto his chest to soothe down the sudden pain that he got from Jeno a while ago.

Jeno grits his teeth and narrows his eyes at the two friends, watching them attempt to hold back their boisterous laughter.

"Shut up."

"Don't bully our Jeno too much." Jaemin coos as his arm slides around Jeno's shoulder, the additional weight added on his body is entirely pleasant. He tenses up but forces himself to relax because he'd be dead if Jaemin notices how he reacts too much at every touch that he does to him. It's going to end up as Jaemin knowing about his little... _crush_ on him.

"Of course, Nana is here to save the day—"

"You can't bully him without having me around! What kind of friends are you?" Jeno actually sulks as the other three share a fit of laughter, attracting the other students' attention because of too much noise coming from their group.

"Aw, Nana, look. Your boyfriend is sulking!" Renjun's voice is too loud and Jeno narrows his eyes at him, attempting to send a death glare at his direction but with the way Jaemin is pressed up against his side and how close he is to know every move that Jeno makes, he stays still with his cheeks only heating up.

"Is that so? I'm sorry, baby." It's clear that the edge of Jaemin's voice is near to playful and teasing but with the way his hand cups his cheek delicately and the way the corners of his lips curl up into that pretty smile that he's so fond of, Jeno finds his heart just racing uncontrollably at the gesture.

"I—I—"

"He's turning into a panicked gay."

"I'm not!" Jeno nearly yelps and hastily pulls out of Jaemin's hold, his heart still beating too loud that he didn't even realize that half of the students' attention is on him. He wants to just sink straight to the ground due to the amount of embarrassment he's feeling.

"We're just kidding, relax." Jaemin approaches him, still with the same teasing smile he was wearing just a moment before Jeno finds himself getting caged into the other's warm embrace. Jeno really attempts to slow down the beating of his heart but with Jaemin so close to him, it's like he can never go into a state of complete calmness.

"Jeno's on his way to falling in love with you, Nana." Donghyuck suddenly interjects, a smug grin fixed on his lips and Jeno has never wanted to stomp on his feet so much until this exact moment.

"Don't say that, I might start falling for him too." Jeno swallows thickly at the sound of Jaemin's words but he can't let any of them know that he's actually already pretty much in love with him — they would never let him live it down.

"You guys are annoying."

"Jeno didn't even deny it, wow."

"Injun, shut it."

"Are you in love with me?" Jaemin asks out of nowhere, eyes filled with pure curiosity as he tilts his head to the side, an arm still wrapped around Jeno firmly to keep him in his place. Jeno has never wanted to scream _fuck, yes!_ so much in his entire life but he can't do that, not yet.

"Pfft, of course not."

"Liar, liar. Pants on fire!"

"No one uses that anymore, Donghyuck." Renjun lets out an exasperated sigh as Donghyuck shoots him another look of betrayal before playfully pinching his cheek, making the other yell in pain.

"Are you sure you wouldn't fall for me?" This time, Jaemin's eyes is filled with amusement and mischief and Jeno swallows the lump in his throat, nodding his head meekly in reply.

"All right, you shouldn't fall for me." There's a sort of finality in his tone of voice but with the way Jaemin says the words makes Jeno wonder if he's posing it as a challenge. They lock gazes and Jeno ignores the way his heart beat wildly against his rib cage.

"That'd be no problem."

-

"I HAVE A SITUATION." Jeno bursts into Renjun's room, where Renjun and Donghyuck are studying for their finals. Well, more like just having their books open while they keep their attention on the television, controllers in hand. Renjun yells over the sound of their animated characters fighting on the screen while Donghyuck makes a subtle move to cheat. The amount of times he "accidentally" hits Renjun's controller or move his hand to push Renjun so he loses his concentration is too many to count.

"Is it a 'I like a boy and I'm turning into a panicked gay' situation or a 'I need to hide a body' kind of situation?" Jeno furrows his eyebrows in confusion while Renjun turns around, shrugging before turning his attention back to the screen.

"Why is there even a second choice like that— you know what, nevermind. It's the first one!"

"Oh, you like Jaemin?" Jeno visibly tenses up at the sound of the question, urging himself to swallow down the answer laying on the tip of his tongue but he ends up blurting it out at the end.

"Yes."

"Oh," It takes a whole minute before the sound of a controller crashing down on the floor echoes in the room as Renjun turns around, eyes wide in disbelief. He jumps to his feet and approaches the other boy, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Did I hear you right? You like Nana?" The blush that slips through Jeno's cheeks is enough to answer Renjun's question. A gasp resounds in the room with Renjun covering his mouth with his hands, eyes still comically wide.

"I can't believe this. I was just kidding all this time but holy shit— Hyuck! What the hell!" The sound of the _'Player two wins!'_ rings up as the words take their appearance on the screen with Donghyuck finally turning around, holding a bag of chips with an incredibly smug grin.

"I won!"

"That's not fair! I wasn't even playing!"

"Not my fault that you wanted to discuss about Jeno's boy problems!"

"You little fu—" Donghyuck yelps as he stumbles to the ground with Renjun pushing him down with his entire weight, hands fisting the front of his shirt. Jeno lets out a groan, hurriedly splitting them up easily because honestly, having to witness another brawl between the two is just hell. Mostly because Jeno has to end up keeping each other away and treat their wounds, taking hours since they try to continue their petty fight in between.

"Come on, you guys shouldn't be gaming anyway. The finals are near!"

"And you shouldn't be worrying too much about your obvious crush on Nana since the finals are near!" Donghyuck mocks him, trying to copy his tone of voice as Jeno shoots a look at Renjun, who responds with a cheeky grin of his own.

"Jun, beat him up for me please."

"No! Okay, Please don't." Donghyuck hastily stands on his feet, nearly knocking into the television screen before he approaches Jeno to pull him to sit on the edge of the bed. Renjun takes his place right beside Jeno whilst the theme song of the video game serves as their background sound.

"How long have you two," Jeno starts off, wildly gesturing to both Donghyuck and Renjun with his eyebrows knitting together in thought, "known about the whole thing about me having a crush on Nana?"

"Oh no. He's really that oblivious." Renjun covers his mouth again in pure shock whilst Donghyuck rolls his eyes, shaking his head. Jeno remains confused about the whole ordeal, his gaze switching between his two friends.

"Jeno, only an oblivious idiot would not notice the way your eyes practically turn into heart eyes every time Jaemin's around."

"... It's that bad."

"So bad." Renjun confirms with a barely concealed snicker leaving his lips as Jeno's lower lip juts out into a pout, feeling the frustration slip back into his body as he rethinks about how exactly he should act around Jaemin.

"I'd be surprised if Nana doesn't know about it." Donghyuck snatches up the juice box on the dresser, taking a sip before he makes a disgusted expression, putting it back to where he got it from.

"Nana does tend to be oblivious when he's around us..." That seems to put Jeno into a state of relief, shoulders dropping after all the anxiety and tensed-up feelings that resided in him a while ago. So there's a chance that Jaemin still doesn't know about his feelings. That's perfect, he can just keep his damn mouth shut—

"Ask him out on a date." Donghyuck's words suddenly breaks the trance of serenity that Jeno has slipped into, making the other shake his head vigorously with eyes wide in disbelief.

"Are you serious? That sounds—"

"Like a plan suggested by a genius." Renjun cuts in and Donghyuck looks especially smug. Jeno directs his attention to his other friend, eyes narrowed suspiciously before he grips his arm in his hold.

"He paid you to say that, didn't you?"

"No, his ass is too broke. Also, you can't really keep this crush buried forever. One day, you'll just explode and probably ask him out in front of the whole school. The rejection is going to hurt more that way."

"I doubt that Nana will reject him," Renjun arches a brow at Donghyuck, who simply shrugs in response, "he looks like he'll be whipped for Jeno too."

"No. No way." Renjun takes a longer look at Jeno, who seems uncomfortable with the way Renjun is looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze before his mouth forms into an 'o' shape.

"Yeah, he probably might be. Also, you guys are the closest."

"Can you please suggest some sensible advice that doesn't involve me asking him out?!"

"Move to Antarctica, probably."

"Fake your death and change your name."

"That sounds great, Jun. I'll probably note it down."

"This is hopeless." Jeno throws his arms up before burying his face in his hands, groaning loudly in pure distress. Renjun only coos and circles his arms around Jeno's waist whilst Donghyuck lays his head on Jeno's shoulder, patting his back in a hopefully supportive manner but he accidentally hits it hard, making Jeno choke on his breath.

"Oh, fuck. Sorry!"

"So much for being sweet, Hyuck." Renjun's voice is teasing but he does keep a hand down Jeno's back, rubbing it soothingly until Jeno goes back to having a normal breathing pattern.

"I'm just really bad at this."

"You cuddle with Mark all the time."

"He likes cuddling with me! Not my fault that I'm a great hugger!" Donghyuck defends himself, arms raised up while Renjun only heaves a deep sigh, rolling his eyes as he cuddles up Jeno from the side.

"Just trying asking him out on a date. It won't hurt to try." Renjun's voice is soothing and calm, making Jeno slip back into the trance but Donghyuck snaps him out of it almost as immediately.

"You can't do cliché dates — be fun! Creative!"

"But... I'm not creative enough to think of dates that are not cliché."

"That's why, we're here." Donghyuck wraps his arms around Jeno's frame, squishing him tightly in a hug.

"We'll make sure that you can take Nana out on the most creative dates." Jeno breaks the group hug, looking at them with a worry-filled gaze as he gnaws on his lower lip in thought.

"You promise?" This time, Donghyuck and Renjun exchange a look before nodding their heads with cheeky, mischievous grins on their lips.

"We promise."

This might be the best decision that Jeno has made.

-

This is the worst decision that Jeno has ever made.

"Why is everyone even here?" Jeno gestures to the other boys seated in front of him, his tone of voice is obviously on the edge of exasperation already. Donghyuck shrugs his shoulders and jabs his thumb in Renjun's direction with a blank look on his face.

"Ask him."

"Me? It was your idea, dumb—"

"Moral support, of course! You're asking Jaemin out after all." Chenle suddenly pipes in, voice too loud for anyone's liking. Jeno stares at him, horrified as he spares a look at the other students, some who were already starting to pay attention to them with deep frowns etched on their faces.

"Shh, don't be too loud." Jeno clasps his hand over Chenle's mouth whilst Jisung can barely hold back the snicker from leaving his lips.

Chenle is annoyed, sending a jab at Jisung but the younger boy quickly avoids it with a smug grin. Soon enough, they're jabbing their elbows at each other's chests whilst sticking out their tongues at each other. Jeno has to physically insert himself in between them to stop them from fighting.

In all honesty, Mark seems to be the most sane in the group (aside from Jaemin) but Jeno is still nervous around him, knowing quite well that sometimes the other boy suddenly speaks out of nowhere and is like a ticking bomb, the secret ready to spill out in any time.

"Jesus, I can already tell this is a disaster." Jeno winces as Chenle accidentally jabs him by his side, limping to the other side of the table to get away from the two little devils.

"Blame Renjun."

"What the hell, Hyuck—!" Renjun is all too ready to pounce on the other boy and strangle him but thankfully, Mark holds him back by grabbing him by the waist firmly with Renjun obviously struggling to break free from his grip.

"Okay, stop." Jeno slams his hands on the wooden table, earning multiple shushes from around their area. He shoots them all a sheepish glance, mumbling some sort of apology under his breath before he runs a hand down his face in frustration.

"Please tell me that you have it all figured out."

"Gladly! Here." Donghyuck pulls out a piece of paper folded from his back pocket, sliding it across the table. Jeno snatches it up, unfolding it and smoothens out the creases before holding his breath, holding it out for him to read carefully.

_Chenle - go skydiving._

"Skydiving? Really?" Chenle holds out his hands in complete surrender, an embarrassed smile on his face but Jeno only heaves a deep sigh. He turns his attention back to the paper, eyes narrowed to read the next words.

_Donghyuck - get trapped in a deserted island._

"How," Jeno wildly raises the paper close to Donghyuck's face, who remains passive about the whole ordeal, "is this even a date?!"

"Surviving is a pretty unique and creative date."

"How?!" Jeno sounds exasperated and gratefully, Renjun plucks out the paper from his tight hold, putting it away before Jeno can take his anger out on the poor piece of paper.

"I don't think you should read the other suggestions anymore..."

"Hyuck hyung's suggestion is the worst though."

"Jisungie! You can't break the promise you just made to me. You said you would support me." Jisung gives him an unimpressed look, raising an eyebrow.

"That is when I didn't know you were broke. I really thought I was going to get a meal out of this."

"Please," Jeno breaks the flow of their conversation, knowing that they'll start another fight and the librarian has been staring at them with a glare for quite some time now, "give me other suggestions. I don't care if it's cliché."

"Hey, don't stress yourself out too much about this, Jeno. I'm sure that everything will turn out fine." Mark speaks up after being silent for a while and for once, Jeno lets his tense shoulders drop in relief with the knowledge that at least there's a sane one among them.

"I know, hyung. I'm just really nervous about taking Jaemin out for a date."

"You're taking out who on a date?" Jeno yelps too loudly when Jaemin pops in, a brow arched in curiosity upon seeing the group gathered around. The other boys cough and direct all their attention to Jeno, who's desperately trying to calm his wild heart beating against his rib cage.

"You're interested in someone, Jeno?" Jaemin is nothing but curious but Jeno is so afraid to actually take a good look on his facial expression, for the fear that he might suddenly collapse at the fact that Jaemin is always so near to him, completely forgetting the definition of a personal space.

"O-Oh," Jeno glances briefly at both Donghyuck and Renjun, who both simply tilt their heads, urging him to lie through the way they keep making obnoxious eyebrow raising movements.

"I-I do! It's a girl in class. Because I'm straight, haha." Jisung actually chokes and Chenle is struggling to even hold back his laughter at the sound of Jeno's words. Mark is quick to read the situation, taking both boys away from the table, leaving a perfectly straight-faced Renjun and Donghyuck behind.

"Interesting. Good luck on your date then, Jeno! Though I hope you won't schedule it during our weekly ice cream sessions."

"I'll never forget you!" Jeno, being the walking embarrassment he is, raises his voice too loudly, catching more than half of the students' attention in their area. His cheeks heat up, coughing away his embarrassment whilst Jaemin simply laughs, a hand gently patting his shoulder before he playfully pulls on Jeno's cheek.

"You're cute. Anyway, I need to go. Still need to finish up an essay or else, I'll get scolded in the middle of the literature class again." The smile that Jaemin flashes at Jeno makes him want to melt to the ground and maybe, that's what happened when Jaemin slips out of his view and his legs almost give out on him, his hands gripping the edge of the table.

Jeno turns to Donghyuck and Renjun, their blank faces finally broken as they're barely able to contain their laughter. Their smiles are too wide and Renjun is really near to just bursting into a fit of loud laughter.

"Please. Help me."

Donghyuck shoots a look at Renjun, the corners of their lips curled up into mischievous grins as they approach Jeno, hooking their arms together, Donghyuck at Jeno's right side and Renjun at his left.

"Gladly."

Jeno only hopes that he won't end up regretting this one again.

-

Good news? He doesn't entirely regret his decision on putting his trust on Donghyuck and Renjun.

Bad news? He still doesn't know how he'll act out all these suggestions.

At all.

"Oh my god, what if he says no?"

"Sounds impossible."

"You don't know that!"

"I can't believe Jeno is talking to the mirror again." Renjun heaves a sigh, shaking his head whilst Donghyuck fumbles with his phone, turning on his camera and starts recording it, for blackmail purposes obviously.

"Jeno, stop it. Hyuck is taking a video again."

"What? This is like the fifth time—!"

"And it gets even funnier each time." Donghyuck snickers, hurriedly locking his phone when Jeno finally steps out of the bathroom, looking tense and nervous.

"Hey, don't worry. Remember what we told you?"

"That he'll say yes to me since I'm handsome and that he likes me back."

"Not my exact words but close to it!"

"Jun, all you told him that he's ugly and to stop talking to the mirror for the past fifteen minutes."

"Shut up, Hyuck." Donghyuck simply sticks out his tongue at the other before he holds Jeno by his shoulders, patting them in an attempt to comfort and encourage him.

"Good luck, you'll be fine." Jeno takes in the comforting words and nods his head, the nervousness going down a little as he breaks away from his friends, his feet automatically leading him to the lockers. He finds Jaemin opening his locker, fingers easily running through the spines of his school books and notebooks to figure out which one he'll bring to the next class.

"Hey, are you single?" Jaemin glances up, eyebrows furrowed as Jeno looks at him expectantly.

"Excuse me?"

"Nana, I repeated this conversation in my head for ten times already. Kindly stick to the script please." Jaemin stifles his laughter, a hand covering his mouth as Jeno feels the realization hit his head once the words are spoken. The red tint is evident on his cheeks and he coughs, trying his best to will down the blush painted on his skin before turning to him with wide eyes.

"Are you asking me out?" Jeno lets out a laugh, body attempting to lean against the lockers before he barely misses with an inch, tripping forward. Oh god, he really is a walking embarrassment.

"W-what? No way! I just... had these two free tickets to Lotte World." He coughs, nonchalantly taking them out of his pocket while Jaemin only gazes at him, not even holding back the teasing grin that graces his lips at the sound of Jeno's words.

"Oh, really? I thought you were supposed to take out a girl on a date because well, you're straight?"

"Right! But she didn't want to go."

"What's her name, anyway? I doubt that she would reject you." Jeno pales up immediately and touches the nape of his neck, rubbing it whilst emitting a nervous laugh at his question. Jaemin raises a brow and finally shuts his locker, barely holding back the chuckle that's on the verge of spilling past his lips.

"I-It's a secret!" Jeno stutters and Jaemin finally releases the laugh, covering his mouth to hide the smile on his face.

"Sure. An unknown girl that you're interested in rejected you? Sounds like she didn't know that you're a catch." Jeno can't even fight back the blush that pops up on his cheeks again, obviously flustered from the sudden compliment thrown to him by Jaemin.

"It's fine! Anyway, I don't want to waste these tickets so—" God, he can't even complete his question when Jaemin is staring at him with such an expectant look plastered on his face. He clears his throat but still, the red tint on his cheeks stay, making him feel like he's burning up.

"Hey, are you o—"

"Let's hang out!" Jeno yells out a little too loudly. He needs to thank the stars that the classroom is cleared out, leaving only the two of them to witness the embarrassment. He can't even meet Jaemin's gaze, he's too busy attempting to will down the blush painted on his cheeks.

"Hang out? Just us two?"

"Yes, just us two. Two bros hanging out. Hanging out as in—"

"I get it," Jaemin tries to hold back the laughter threatening to escape past his pair, a hand reaching up to cover his mouth and to hide the growing smile on his lips, "I'll hang out with you."

"Great! I, uh, I'll see you?" Jeno is all too eager to even hide his happiness that Jaemin didn't reject him, despite how he embarrassed himself to no end. God, he really needs Renjun and Donghyuck to at least give him more tips next time.

"Sure, I'll drop by your house on Saturday."

"Yes!" Jeno excitedly raises his fist before hurriedly putting his hand down with a sheepish smile playing on his lips, feet already pattering against the tiled floor.

"I-I'll text you!" The stutter is obvious and Jaemin only curls his lips into a smile with a hint of amusement as Jeno rushes out of the room with burning cheeks again.

Damn it, he really does need his friends' help.


	2. date number one — amusement park

_Chenle's idea: Amusement park._

_"Oh god, finally. A normal idea." Jeno says out loud, hands clasping together as he raises his gaze, lips curved up into a smile filled with nothing but pure excitement. Renjun rolls his eyes but takes his place beside Jeno whilst Donghyuck takes up the chair placed on Jeno's other side._

_"I know! I have the best idea here. I got you, bro. Don't worry." Chenle looks smug as he attempts to lean back on his chair, failing miserably as he unceremoniously falls to the floor with a loud thud when he leaned back too much. He picks himself up from the floor, putting the chair back to its normal position in a swift move before nonchalantly taking his place on it again._

_Both Jisung and Donghyuck had to excuse themselves, coughing hard due their lame attempts to hold back their boisterous laughter._

_"Anyway, I think this date will go great. I mean, there are rides, food, prizes—"_

_"Do a screaming contest with Nana hyung!" Chenle's voice is too loud and Jeno is quick to cover his mouth with his hand. This time, Renjun leaves while snorting and laughing at the same time, almost choking._

_"Be quiet please." The words that Chenle says afterwards are muffled so Jeno begrudgingly removes his hand, sending a warning look at him. Chenle raises his hands in defense._

_"I swear, screaming contests are fun. Ride a rollercoaster and see who screams the loudest."_

_"Sounds like a nightmare."_

_"What, are you going to ride the merry-go-round?" Ugh, boring."_

_"Fine! I'll do your idea." Chenle grins, showing off a thumbs up with a proud expression plastered on his face._

_"You won't regret it. I promise."_

Jeno paces around his living room, clutching his cap in his hands before hastily putting it on, only to remove it a second later with a frown as he attempts to smooth down his hair. He glances at the clock briefly and his frown goes deeper when the short hand is nearing two already. Jaemin should have been here already.

The sound of someone rapidly knocking on the door is enough for Jeno to jump to his feet, hurriedly running towards the door to swing it open, revealing a panting Jaemin with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, got caught up with something at home. I... rushed here. Wait," Jaemin laughs, cheeks painted in red tint. It might be because of the tiny amount of exhaustion in his bones and the heat of the sun outside.

"We're still going on that da— I mean, hang out, right?"

"Yeah, of course." If Jeno had looked closer, he would have seen the way the blush goes brighter on Jaemin's cheeks but his eyes are focused on the clock instead.

"Let's go?" A hand circles around Jeno's wrist and for a second, Jeno is knocked out breathless at the smile that Jaemin offers to him, taking a moment before nodding his head.

It would be a miracle if Jaemin didn't hear his heart beating aggressively against his ribcage.

"Ah, what the heck. I didn't realize how hot it was today." Jaemin frowns as soon as they step out on the sidewalk, squinting slightly as he raises his gaze to look at the bright sky. Jeno hurriedly takes off his cap and puts it on Jaemin's head, partially blocking out his sight before he pulls Jaemin along with him.

"You should have brought a cap with you or at least an umbrella!" Jeno lightly scolds and Jaemin laughs, pressing himself easily against the other's side comfortably, laying his head on his shoulder.

"I was excited to hang out with you. It's been a while since I visited an amusement park too." Jeno calms down his beating heart, mentally counting the seconds to distract himself as his heartbeat slows down, slipping back to its normal routine.

"Really? Usually, it's a little hard to have fun when it's too hot."

"True but something tells me that I would have fun with you today." The smile that Jaemin flashes at Jeno's direction makes Jeno want to melt into a puddle as he tears his gaze away from him, cheeks burning as he leads the way down the sidewalk.

"That's weird. You usually say that I'm boring."

"I mean, you are." Jaemin shrugs and Jeno playfully frowns at him before the former laughs in delight, their steps slowly falling into the same pace.

"It must mean something if I feel like I'll have fun today with us two."

"Should I take that as a compliment then?" Jaemin grins and Jeno can't stop his heart from beating wildly against his chest once again.

"Definitely."

-

"Can we please try these out?" Jaemin's hand is comfortably wrapped around his own but Jeno's heart is still going crazy at the contact, barely able to focus on anything except for the other's warm hand pressed against his.

"Huh?" He asks, dumbfounded and Jaemin chuckles, directing his attention to nearby shop before hurriedly tugging him inside, rows and rows of headbands and accessories lined up at the side.

"Look! These are cute." Jeno pulls away to hurriedly snatch up two headbands with blue cat ears, feet quickly leading the way back to Jaemin as he automatically leans in, placing one of the headbands on top of his head. Only when he pulled away did he notice how hot his cheeks are and how Jaemin is smiling so widely at him that his heart just flipped at the sight of it.

"They do look cute. We're matching! Are they couple headbands?" Jaemin bends a little, checking himself in front of the mirror as he smooths down his hair. Jeno stands beside him, frozen in place as he glances down on his headband, clearing his throat slightly.

"Come here, let me put it on you." Jeno hesitates but finally hands it over, letting Jaemin's fingers sift through the strands of his hair before he slots the headband neatly on top of his head.

"There! You finally look like one of your cats. You're almost as cute as them." Jeno pointedly ignores the compliment thrown at him but still, he finds himself pouting slightly, arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm supposed to be cuter than them."

"Well, you're not." Jaemin sticks out his tongue while Jeno scrunches his nose before bursting into a small fit of laughter, his chest feeling lightly as he finds himself next to the other again, pressing himself against Jaemin's side.

"Let me pay."

"No! Let me pay."

"It's fine, I—"

"I'm the one who chose this!" Jeno's voice is so loud that they attract the other customers' attention. Jaemin barely bites back his laugh as he pats Jeno's shoulder before pinching his cheek.

"Okay, fine. What a gentleman." Jeno blushes in deep red before approaching the cashier, paying for the headbands before he drags Jaemin out of the shop, their hands intertwined with each other's once again.

Jeno leads the way while Jaemin stays close to him, occasionally squeezing his hand and pointing out the attractions that they passed by.

"Huh, it's really crowded. We should have went during the weekdays." A regretful sigh leaves Jeno's lips as he eyes the long line leading to the rollercoaster ride. Jaemin only curls his lips into a fond smile before his arm slings itself around Jeno's shoulder, pulling him close.

(Jeno promptly blames the sun and the added body heat next to him that his cheeks are painted red with embarrassment.)

"It's fine. I know it'll be fun. Knowing you, you might end up screaming then throwing up once we get off."

"Me? No way!" Jeno shakes his head and the mischievous twinkle is back in Jaemin's gaze, the corners of his eyes crinkling up as a grin forms on his lips.

"Want to make a bet? Loser has to pay for the winner's food."

"Sure! Make sure to get your wallet ready then." Jeno nods his head with a smug smile curved up on his lips whilst Jaemin's look only turns more mischievous, also sporting a smug and confident smile on his lips. Jeno would be lying if he didn't find him even more attractive.

Surprisingly, the line didn't take that long before it's finally their turn. Jeno can feel the nervousness running through his veins but still, he makes sure to at least wear a smile on his face, despite how his cheeks hurt too much because of it.

"Nervous?"

"Me? Pfft, no!" Jeno swiftly responds and Jaemin is also quick to catch it, a laugh leaving his lips as his hand naturally slips into Jeno's, pulling him towards the front row.

Jeno has entirely lost the sense of what is supposed to make him nervous — the heart-wrecking rollercoaster ride or the way that Jaemin tightens his hold around his hand once they finally slipped into their chosen seats and the attendant has fastened their seatbelts already.

"I-Is this a good idea?"

"Why? Are you scared?" Instead of playfulness laced around Jaemin's tone of voice, worry is only evident thing but Jeno hurriedly shakes his head, trying to calm down his heart (because of Jaemin or this damn ride, he's still not sure).

"Of course not— oh my god, we're moving now." Jeno double checks his seatbelt,  his free hand fumbling with it while Jaemin reaches over to pinch Jeno's cheek, forcing him out of the trance as he lets out a wince.

"Relax. You're not going to fall. I got you." Jeno knows he shouldn't be reading between the lines — first of all, it's a definite road to heartbreak and disappointment if he does that and second, he's on a damn ride that could possibly end his life any time soon due to the adrenaline rushing through his body too fast. But with the reassuring smile that Jaemin gives him, coupled with the small squeeze on their intertwined hands makes his heart jump out of his chest.

(Once again, he blames that on the ride.)

"You promise?" Jeno is shaking like a leaf now as the rollercoaster slowly ascends to the top while Jaemin only throws his head back with a bright smile and a melodious laugh escaping his lips.

"I promise. If you're going to fall then I'll fall with you."

"Stop being cheesy, I'm going to fucking die in here!"

(Jeno isn't sure anymore if the rollercoaster ride is the one that made his heart fall and the reason for the screams that left his lips or if it's the way Jaemin only grinned at him before the ride finally takes its course.)

-

"You okay?" Jeno couldn't answer, his head is spinning and he only responses by throwing up in the trash can, hands tightly gripping around it, as if his whole life depended on it. He manages to shake his head weakly and before he knows it, a soothing hand runs along his back as he continues to empty his lunch into the can.

It takes several minutes for Jeno to finish and find the strength to not suddenly fall straight to the floor. But Jaemin sticks by his side, offering him some water and handing him tissues every now and then.

With an arm around Jaemin's shoulder, Jaemin half-carries Jeno to a nearby empty bench, both of them heaving a sigh as the cool marble meets their skin.

"Feeling better now?" Jeno meekly nods, the blush creeping back to his cheeks as he hurriedly downs the rest of the water left in the bottle before wiping his mouth with another tissue. Jaemin's hand on his back feels calming and soothing — Jeno allows himself to drown in the peaceful, quiet atmosphere stretched between them, the noise of the children laughing and feet pattering against the floor has become a background sound.

"Didn't know that you would take the whole 'screaming and throwing up' thing seriously."

"I didn't mean to! It was a bad decision to eat my lunch before riding the rollercoaster." Jeno huffs, a playful frown on his lips as he crosses his arms over his chest while Jaemin only tilts his head, eyes crinkling as a sweet smile appears on his face, a hand reaching out once again to pinch Jeno's cheek in a teasing manner.

"The bet still remains. And guess who won?" Jaemin sneaks a hand inside Jeno's pocket, pulling out his wallet easily while Jeno reaches out with a small whine leaving his lips, surrendering at the end as he rubs the nape of his neck while Jaemin hugs the wallet close to his chest.

"Fries? Please?"

"... Okay."

"Thank you!" Jaemin latches himself onto Jeno's arm whilst the latter attempts to stay cool but the red tint appearing once more on his cheeks is very evident. They jump to their feet and Jeno finds himself with an arm wrapped loosely around Jaemin's waist while the Jaemin has his arm slung around Jeno's shoulder.

Jeno finds the brown-haired boy really, really adorable when he's excited. There's a bounce on his steps as he leads the way to the stall selling french fries, only for them to stop abruptly in front of the poster set up near it.

"There's a firework show tonight. Want to watch it? There's no school tomorrow anyway." Jeno is stunned — he had the expectation that their "hang-out" (read: date) would end late in the afternoon, after getting some snacks. He didn't really expect to stay out late but with one look at Jaemin's eyes, he finds himself agreeing with a grin when he sees the bright twinkle in the other's eyes. It would be a terrible lie if he said that his heart didn't flutter like crazy at the sight of it.

"Sure."

-

"Come on, just look at the camera!" The night is finally slipping in, the sky growing darker as their steps echo on the pavement, walking their way to find a good spot to watch the fireworks. There's a bridge in front of them and Jaemin is quick to find his way to the middle of it — his shoes hitting the wooden flooring of the bridge. He waves his phone excitedly, gesturing Jeno to come faster.

"You better not take a picture of me!" Jeno yells over the chatter around them but Jaemin only grins cheekily, holding out his phone as he sneakily begins to take pictures with Jeno making an attempt to cover up his face with his hands.

"Don't be like that, you look great anyway." Jaemin is loud and clear once Jeno finally makes his way in front of him. His heart shouldn't be beating rapidly against his ribcage but he's hearing it too loudly, despite how noisy their surroundings are. He hates how every little flirty compliment that comes from Jaemin can make his heart pound like crazy.

"I doubt." He mentally cheers himself at the way he didn't stutter but Jaemin only clicks his tongue, gesturing him to come closer. He pulls on Jeno's sleeve slightly before holding out his phone again, tilting his head.

"Let's take some pictures?" His eyes darts from the phone to Jaemin's face before he finally nods his head, his arms naturally finding their way around Jaemin's waist. He settles behind Jaemin, chin laid comfortably on his shoulder and if he paid more attention, he would have noticed the way Jaemin freezes at the contact, cheeks colored with bright pink as he clears his throat.

He holds out his phone, the front camera turning on as he snaps a series of pictures, the night sky serving as a beautiful backdrop.

"These look good." Jaemin puts down his phone, finger swiping through the photos while Jeno only tightens his arms around Jaemin's waist, making sure that the other is comfortable in his embrace.

"Let me see."

"Let me go first."

"And why? Am I making your heart race?" The edge of Jeno's voice is clearly teasing but Jaemin doesn't answer, head shaking even though his cheeks are still burning hot. He's thankful that Jeno is behind him or else, he would be teasing him even more. Jeno can be a little devil from time to time, even if his face doesn't show it.

"Is this payback from all the flirting I did today?"

"You flirted with me?"

"Lee Jeno, I don't know if you're dense or stupid. Or both."

"Both, obviously." A familiar voice breaks through their flow of conversation as Jeno stumbles back, arms withdrawing away from Jaemin's waist. Once again, both of them would be lying if they didn't miss each other's warmth almost immediately.

Four boys step into view and Jeno doesn't even hide his groan of despair as Donghyuck flashes a mischievous smile while Renjun snickers beside him, coughing into his fist to hide his laughter. Chenle and Jisung appear from behind with cheeky grins written all over their faces, clearly showing off how troublesome they'll be.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm on a date with Injun and we brought our kids!" Donghyuck cheerily replies whilst Jeno frowns slightly, arms crossed.

"Gross, I would never date you."

"Excuse me, people are actually lining up to date me!" Renjun rolls his eyes while he shakes his head.

"Is Mark hyung lining up to date you too?"

"He's dying to date me, you know."

"Then why isn't he here with us?" Chenle pipes up, breaking their conversation. Donghyuck huffs, running a hand through his hair before he decides to speak.

"He has basketball practice with Jaehyun hyung."

"Aw, poor you. At least I'm here." Renjun coos while Donghyuck flashes a smirk at him, raising a brow.

"Ha! I knew it. You're in love with me."

"Stop flirting in front of us, that's gross."

"Shut it, Jisungie."

"Don't talk to my Jisungie like that." Chenle butts in, wrapping an arm around Jisung's shoulder protectively while Renjun continues to coo at the scene in front of him.

"Hold on! Can you guys please explain why you're really here?" Jeno grits his teeth but he finds himself relaxing when he feels Jaemin putting a hand down his back to soothe him.

"Actually, we were just asked to babysit them." Renjun heaves a sigh before slotting himself in between the younger boys, wrapping his arms around their shoulders.

"What a coincidence! We just happened to stumble on your little date." Donghyuck claps his hands, eyes shining with mischief.

"Oh my god," Jeno cups his cheeks with his palms, shaking his head while Jaemin barely holds back his laughter, coughing into his fist as well to hide his smile.

"You guys are like really embarrassing parents that are constantly checking on your son's date." Jaemin voices out his thoughts nonchalantly while Jeno blushes, cheeks coloring themselves in deep red. He has to thank the night that it's not that visible anymore.

"Aren't Lele and Jisungie supposed to be in bed soon?"

"Sheesh, grandpa. It's still early." Jisung says out loud and Jeno only scrunches his nose at the given nickname while Donghyuck laughs loudly, pinching Jisung's cheek.

"That's my boy. I'm so proud of you."

"Guys, I think we should leave the lovebirds alone. Jeno looks like he's going to die of embarrassment soon." Renjun speaks up, noticing how Jeno's face is practically turning red from the embarrassment.

"Yeah, let them go back to cuddling with each other." This time, both Jeno and Jaemin blush at the words that left Chenle's mouth. Renjun snickers again before he gathers up the other three, leading them away, not before he mouths 'good luck' at Jeno once Jaemin faces away from them.

Jaemin waits for a moment, eyes focused on Jeno before he tilts his head, a fond smile curling on the corners of his lips easily.

"So, is this a date?" Jaemin cuts through the thick, awkward silence that stretched between them and Jeno is left stunned and tongue-tied with his face flushed in embarrassment.

"I-I mean,"

"If you say it's a hang-out then I wouldn't mind." Jaemin leans against the railing of the bridge while Jeno settles close beside him, looking at the sky to search for signs of the fireworks show.

"But whatever you say, I still think it's a date."

Jeno doesn't know if it's the fireworks that exploded that night or if it's his own heart that finally burst because of too much love for the other boy.

-

"Today was really fun." Jaemin gently squeezes their intertwined fingers together and Jeno, for probably the tenth time today, blushes like mad at the gesture. His heart is beating too wildly against his rib cage that it actually takes a second before he realizes what Jaemin just said to him.

"You had fun? Really?" Jeno asks, tone strangely suspicious. Jaemin catches it immediately, a laugh falling from his lips as he spares the older boy that sweet smile that can make anyone weak at the knees. Jeno is absolutely sure that he would have fallen straight to the ground if it wasn't for Jaemin holding tightly on his hand. The thought of him feeling like this around his best friend slash his not so secret crush is enough to make his heart flip.

"Of course I did! You're surprisingly fun to be around, even if you almost threw up on me." Jaemin's voice is near to teasing and Jeno can feel his ears and cheeks burning, the heat traveling to his face.

"D-Don't bring that up! I'm embarrassed."

"You're so cute." Jaemin pinches his cheek briefly with another smile and Jeno prays to the stars that the other boy hasn't noticed his dark red cheeks. Jaemin would never let him live it down. Heck, he's sure that Donghyuck and Renjun would never let that topic go, ever.

A stretch of silence happens between them but still, Jeno finds it comforting to have the younger boy around him. If in some alternate universe he's not in love with his best friend happens to exist, he knows that Jaemin will always be around to make him feel like he's on cloud nine always.

"We're here." Jaemin breaks the silence and it didn't even register to Jeno that they're standing in front of his porch. The brown-haired male is grinning at him and Jeno coughs, willing down the blush that still remains on his cheeks as he pulls away, clearing his throat.

"Oh, right. I, uh, thanks." Jeno fumbles through his words but thankfully, Jaemin is sweet and doesn't make fun of him anymore. Probably because he also hit his quota of teasing him for today.

"No problem. Go inside now." Jaemin flashes him a reassuring smile and Jeno takes a second long to stare at him before slipping inside his house. But still, he doesn't shut the door, he gazes at Jaemin from inside the house and the other boy laughs wholeheartedly.

"Do you miss me already?" Jeno huffs but the obvious red at the tips of his ears is enough answer. Jaemin approaches him, the door is the only thing that is physically separating the two of them.

"Good night, Jeno. I'll see you tomorrow." The least expected scenario happens — Jaemin puckers his lips up and Jeno's mind just went into overdrive. He freezes in spot and just when Jaemin is almost near to him, he slams the door.

Hard.

"Ouch!" He can hear Jaemin yell outside and he panics though he didn't open the door, for the fear that he might end up doing that he regrets.

"I'm sorry!" He yells through the door and for a moment, only the silence answers him. He debates with himself if he should open the door to see if Jaemin is okay or if he already went away but the familiar voice slips through.

"I-It's fine," There's a short stretch of silence before Jaemin laughs softly, patting the door quietly with his palm.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jeno." Jeno doesn't respond, only listening to the muffled footsteps as Jaemin leaves his front porch. Once he's certain that the other boy is gone already, he rushes to his room and immediately throws himself on his bed.

God, he really is screwed.

(Jeno would be lying if he said that he wasn't waiting for Jaemin to text him that he got home safely. His heart is beating wildly when his phone's notification pops up, showing a new message. Once he opens it up, he heaves a deep sigh of relief before he falls unceremoniously back on his bed.

**Jaemin** **[21:34]:** hey, i got home safely! i hope you're sleeping well!  
**Jaemin** **[21:34]:** also, i had lots of fun today :) let's hang out again soon!)

-

"Spill!" Donghyuck rushes through Jeno's door the next morning, his shirt put in the wrong way and jeans messily hugging his legs. Renjun clicks his tongue, taking a seat beside Jeno, who has his arms crossed while he sports a frown on his lips.

"You woke me up at seven in the morning for this?"

"Obviously! Now, spill the details!" Renjun joins us, eagerly jumping on Jeno's bed while the black-haired boy groans, rubbing his temples with his palm. The headache is residing too early but what can he do? It's not like Renjun and Donghyuck would actually budge and leave him alone — they'd do anything to interfere with Jeno's love life.

"It was a disaster."

"What?" The simultaneous answer comes from his two friends and Jeno rubs his cheeks, making them turn red at the action as his palms rubs too hard on his skin.

"Impossible. You were all over each other last night." Renjun's eyes are wide and Donghyuck could only nod his head in agreement while Jeno blushes, coughing as the memory slips back into his head.

"Well, I actually almost threw up on him... after the rollercoaster ride." Jeno winces, one of the corners of his mouth curling downwards to resemble a frown at he jogs through the memory slowly, taking it apart piece by piece.

"No one's surprised anymore, honestly." Donghyuck snorts and Renjun hides his smirk behind his palm but Jeno is good at reading his facial expression anyway, eyes narrowing at his friend.

"I didn't throw up on him anyway! It's just that, he kept asking me and I was already dizzy. Good thing we were near a trash can." His shoulders drop as he heaves a sigh, hands cupping his cheeks.

"And then what? That's the only disastrous moment?"

"No." Jeno winces and Donghyuck and Renjun exchange looks in curiosity, eyebrows raised at each other.

"Um, he walked me home and when he said good night, he..." Jeno trails off as he puckers up his lips at his two friends, imitating the same action that Jaemin did last night. Both of them are ready to cringe, expressions morphing into embarrassment.

"He did that. And I—"

"And then what?!"

"... I panicked and accidentally slammed the door on his face."

A moment of stretched silence echoes in the room before Renjun breaks it, laughing all too loudly as he claps his hands and his face turning red. Donghyuck is in the same state — his whole body shaking as he clutches his stomach, a fit of chuckles and loud laughter leaving his lips.

"Oh my god, I-I can't believe this actually happened."

"This isn't making me feel better!" Jeno sulks, lower lip jutted out into a pout while Renjun and Donghyuck attempt to halt their fits of laughter but their lips are stretched into an evident grin, traces of chuckles still leaving their mouths.

"O-Okay, sorry. Did he, uh, text you after that?" Donghyuck is surprisingly the first one to fix himself up before fully turning his attention to Jeno with genuine curiosity written all over his face.

"Yeah. He told me that he got home safely and he hopes that I'm sleeping well. He also said that he had fun and added a smiley face after that."

"Holy shit, doesn't he sound whipped?"

"Definitely. He's in love with Jeno too." Donghyuck says with a serious tone and Jeno shoots him a ludicrous look, shaking his head in strong disagreement.

"No, no. What the hell, that's... impossible."

"I mean, we thought that you're forever straight but look at where we are now." Renjun points out nonchalantly whilst Donghyuck struggles to withhold his laughter, teeth catching onto his lower lip to hide his chuckles.

"That's a good point, Jun."

"No, it's not!"

"Okay, fine. Did he say anything else to you last night?" Renjun leans forward as Jeno frowns in thought, trying to rack his head to search for any more memories he can dig up, aside from all the embarrassing moments he did.

"He said... that whatever I say, he still thinks we're on a date."

"Yes, confirmed. He's whipped for you too. Congratulations!"

"That's impossible." Jeno quickly breaks through, the disbelief evident in his voice and Donghyuck lets out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head as he directs his attention to Renjun, who simply shrugs his shoulders.

"Both of them are dense, we're going to end up struggling." Renjun lays an arm around Jeno's shoulder, playfully patting his cheek while the other only sulks even more.

"I'm not dense!"

"Whatever. Anyway, aside from all your embarrassing moments during the date, how was the date overall?" Donghyuck takes a seat on the edge of the bed, leaning closer as Jeno pursues his lips into a thin line, deep in thought as he hugs his own stomach.

"It's... okay, I guess."

"See! We really are the world's greatest planners." Donghyuck dramatically places a hand on his chest while Renjun nods his head, giving a high five to him while Jeno shakes his head with his nose scrunched up in thought.

"No, it's still embarrassing. I slammed the door on him."

"I mean, sure but you still have time to redeem yourself!" Renjun cheerily replies, landing a loud slap on Jeno's shoulder but he barely reacts, seeing that the other boy isn't that strong compared to him.

"How?" Jeno frowns, holding the blanket close to his chest and Donghyuck playfully squishes his cheeks in his hands, eyes crinkling upwards as he flashes another impish smile at the other boy.

"Let's go for the second date!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! i'll try updating again as soon as i can. feel free to talk to me in [twitter.](http://twitter.com/jenosaints)


	3. date number two — arcade

_Jisung's idea_ : _Go to an arcade_.

_Jisung hastily pushes Chenle off his seat and eagerly takes his place. Renjun and Donghyuck are back, lips curled up into amused snickers and smirks as they try to hold back their laughter._

_"Chenle's idea is too overrated. You should go and play at arcade!" Like Chenle, Jisung gets too excited and speaks too loudly, which Jeno suspects is Chenle's fault since the both of them are glued at the hips. Jeno has to lean over and slaps his hand over Jisung's pair, mouthing apologies at the students surrounding them in the library. The only responses he receives are glares and eyes rolling in annoyance._

_"Arcade?"_

_"Yeah," Jisung pushes his hand away and suddenly leans closer, making Jeno back away almost immediately at the lack of space between them, "it's been such a long time since you went to an arcade! You get to play games and win prizes. What's a better date than that?_ "

_"Yeah, you know that Nana likes plushies so much. You can be a cool guy and win him something like that." Renjun adds and Jeno pursues his lips in thought at the sound of  a promising date._

_"That... actually sounds fun." Donghyuck looks impressed and raises a brow as he glances at Jeno for confirmation._

_"Well, okay. I guess we can get through that."_

_"Great! I'm telling you that my idea is a hundred times better than his." Jisung jabs his thumb at Chenle, who simply scowls at him, clicking his tongue in disagreement._

_"I agree."_

_"Me too."_

_"Why does everyone in this table hate me?!" Chenle says, raising his tone of voice while Renjun rolls his eyes and heaves a sigh._

_"Oh my god, shut up."_

Jeno nearly skips inside the arcade and fall over due to the bubbling excitement upon seeing the amount of game machines lighting up, almost as if beckoning him to start playing everything. In all honesty, he's a little ashamed to admit that the reason why he went in the first place to impress Jaemin but he almost forgot about him the moment they stepped past the entrance.

"Wow, you look like you're really excited. You almost," Jaemin catches his breath, cheeks a little flushed from running around and attempting to chase him down as Jeno eagerly weaves through the machines, "forgot about me, huh?"

"Wait, really? Oh god, I'm really sorry." He doesn't realize it but he finds himself wrapping an arm around Jaemin's waist to help him keep upright as Jaemin tips his head back with a laugh.

"It's fine. It's cute seeing you get all excited like this. You're like a little kid!"

"I-I'm not!" The denial tone is clear in Jeno's voice but the stutter is evident, making his cheeks turn red in embarrassment. Jaemin only curls his lips into a sweet smile before hastily pulling Jeno towards a row of game machines, watching the screens light up into colorful settings.

Jeno is just about to pull Jaemin to another part of the arcade but his ears are quick enough to pick up the sound of snickering and giggles just a few feet away from them. He turns around and his eyes narrow dangerously as Donghyuck, Renjun, Jisung, and Chenle bounces towards them with eager steps, faces plastered on with grins. Only Mark, who trails behind the group, has the tendency to look sheepish.

"Sorry, I tried to stop them." Mark speaks up as Chenle and Jisung snicker into their fists whilst Renjun jabs his thumb at Donghyuck with a nonchalant expression on his face.

"It was his idea."

"It was not!" Donghyuck immediately turns to glare at Renjun before turning to the pair in front of them whilst sporting a desperate look, "I totally did not suggest this. I swear!"

"Sure you didn't." Chenle raises his voice, sounding louder than necessary due to the noise buzzing around them as kids and teenagers ran around in excitement.

"Shut up."

"Looks like your parents are back, Jeno." Jaemin coos and links his arm with Jeno's. The latter blushes almost instantly but he wills it away with a deep frown etched on his expression.

"Stop following me around. You're ruining our date!"

"We're not following you around!"

"We're on a date?"

Their words overlapped but soon, they're met with silence as the realization finally sinks in Jeno's head, the words that slipped past his lips.

"I—I mean,"

"Oh! You kids are on a date! Have fun then!" Donghyuck grabs hold of Renjun's wrist first and attempts to pull him away in another direction while the Chenle and Jisung follow them, excitedly directing them to the other arcade games. Mark lags behind, patting Jeno on the shoulder and mouths _good luck_ to him while Jeno stands there, stunned at the sudden turn of events and also because of the words he uttered just a moment ago.

"So... this is a date?" Jaemin pops the question with a sweet smile playing on his pair, gently squeezing Jeno's cheek with his free hand. Jeno coughs, hoping to avoid his cheeks painting themselves red once more.

"I... no?"

"No?" Jaemin questions, an eyebrow arching to display his curiosity and interest.

"If that's the case then we should ask the other guys to hang out with us. The more, the merrier!" Jeno hurriedly shakes his head, gaze hurriedly going to his other friends, who seem rather far away by now even if their voices can still be heard if he listens carefully.

"No!" The immediate response surprises both of them but Jeno pushes even more, going beyond the embarrassment he's feeling as of the moment.

"We're on a date! They can't interrupt a date!" Once more, he doesn't realize the words that escape his lips but the moment the shock registers on Jaemin's expression, he finds himself completely speechless because of it.

"So, it's a date?" Jaemin asks, the smile returning to his face and Jeno can't even chase away the heat blossoming on his cheeks.

"Maybe," he settles for the answer and pursues his lips into a thin line, "or maybe not?"

Jaemin rolls his eyes but the smile still remains on his lips, keeping their arms linked as he drags Jeno towards another row of arcade machines.

"Whatever you say. Come on, let's play!"

-

"Let's bet," They approach the basketball game, Jaemin reaching out to grab one of the balls and passes it to Jeno, who catches it with both of his hands and a small _oof_ leaving his mouth as it hits him in the chest, "I can score higher than you."

"And what do I get if I win?" Jeno plays around with the ball and watches as Jaemin swipes the card, the machine lighting up to life as the other balls roll down.

"Let's see," Jaemin grabs the ball and flashes an impish grin at the other, "a kiss?"

"Lame."

"You're blushing though."

"I-I'm not!" Jeno touches his cheek with his palm, feeling the warmth radiate from his skin before he huffs, glancing away.

"Fine, fine. How about the loser treats the winner for some dinner after this?"

"...Any kind of dinner?" Jeno mumbles, taking back the ball into his hands and Jaemin can barely hold himself back from smiling all too widely at the boy in front of him.

"Any kind of dinner! Throw in some dessert too."

"You're on!" Jeno positions himself in front of the machine, watching the clock count down before he starts. The moment the clock starts up, counting down from thirty seconds, he starts shooting the balls almost as perfectly as expected — only a few balls have missed the hoop but not anything that he would fret over since his competitive side is showing up now.

The last seconds blink to life on the board as Jeno hurries his pace, the shots getting sloppier as his aiming is going in the wrong directions. As soon as the last second blinks, he manages to shoot one last ball, the board popping out the number _26_ as clear as day.

"Not bad." Jaemin is impressed at the fairly high score displayed on the board and Jeno looks smug for a second before a smile wipes away any trace of pride left on his expression.

"Think you can beat me?"

"I'll take you on any day, sweetheart." The edge of Jaemin's voice is sickeningly sweet and Jeno can't deny that his stomach feels like it flipped out several times, forcing the butterflies to start fluttering around crazily.

"Let's s-see about that," Jeno frowns almost immediately the stutter, "damn it."

"Cute." Jaemin turns to the ring, not casting a glance to see the adorable blush that adorned itself on Jeno's cheeks again.

Jaemin picks up one of the balls in his hands, eyebrows furrowed as he watches the clock slowly count the seconds down. As soon as the game starts, Jaemin is quick to start shooting the balls through the hoops. He's unfortunately not as precise as Jeno but he has an advantage since he moves faster than the other boy.

Jeno chews on his bottom lip in nervousness, watching as the seconds tick by. He doesn't want to lose at all — he's good at basketball and the fact that there's a slight possibility that he might lose to someone who barely plays is a hit to his pride.

But the more he gazes at Jaemin, watching him switch through the balls easily as he shoots them in a rather careless way, the more he gets convinced that he doesn't really care about losing now. He knows that Jaemin would be elated if he ever won and happiness looks so beautiful when it's painted all over Jaemin's expression.

The last five seconds tick by and Jeno can feel the adrenaline pumping through him with every movement. They're only apart by a few points and if Jaemin can shoot those last three balls, he can beat Jeno easily by a point.

_Three_.

Jaemin aims one of the balls and shoots, watching it slip through the hoop easily.

_Two_.

He grabs the last ball and carelessly shoots it, hoping for a lucky shot.

_One_.

The ball only hits the ring and falls sideward, making Jeno excitedly pump his fits in the air, yelling.

"YES!" He screams and for a second, he has the decency to feel embarrassed by his actions and also because he doesn't want Jaemin to feel bad for losing. But it seems like the opposite happens — Jaemin elicits a sweet laugh, head thrown back before he approaches Jeno, pinching his cheek.

"Congratulations to my favorite basketball player," Jaemin squishes his cheeks afterwards with his hands and Jeno can't escape from the fact that his cheeks are heating up to the gesture, "ah, I should have known that I shouldn't make bets when playing ball with a star player."

"You had a good score too! You were only a point behind." Jeno tries to reason out and make him feel better, hoping to console him. Jaemin grins, shrugging nonchalantly before he pinches Jeno's other cheek instead.

"Not enough to win against you. So that means I'm the loser." He hums softly before leaning in close to the other boy. Jeno stiffens up at the close proximity between them, barely enough space to move away and god, he didn't know that his heartbeat can sound this loud when Jaemin is this near to him.

"I, uh, what are you doing?" Jeno squeaks out just before Jaemin can press himself closer. They both gaze at each other and to Jeno's surprise, Jaemin's cheeks are deep red in color. Jaemin jerks away in shock, hands falling awkwardly to his side before he elicits a shy, awkward laugh, rubbing the nape of his neck afterwards.

"Sorry, I forgot that we changed the bet. So, dinner, right?" Jaemin swerves into a different topic smoothly but Jeno, for some reason, can't calm down his beating heart against his chest. His cheeks are hot as he places a hand over his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath his palm while Jaemin peers at him curiously.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Jeno snaps back into reality and he takes a second to digest Jaemin's question before nodding his head hurriedly.

"Of course! Dinner! Let's have dinner!" Jeno repeats and almost curses at himself for looking like a damn idiot in front of his best friend. Jaemin flashes a bright smile, fingers circling around his wrist as he pulls him close to his side with his eyes crinkling.

"Okay, let's go."

Jeno pretends that the heat doesn't crawl to his cheeks, coughing loudly to cover up the fact that he's blushing like mad. That seems to do the opposite thing — Jaemin spins on his heel, catching Jeno off-guard and he raises his brow at the older boy with a teasing smile already stretched out on his mouth.

"Are you blushing?"

"W-what? That's ridiculous!" Jeno makes a horrible attempt to laugh it off but Jaemin doesn't look at all convinced — lips curving into a subtle smirk for a second before another smile appears on his face. He turns to Jeno, reaching out to teasingly pinch his cheek, letting out that sweet laugh that can make anyone weak at the sound of it.

"You're cute." That renders Jeno speechless as Jaemin takes the slack-jawed boy away from the other arcade machines, an excited bounce present in his steps. Jeno struggles to follow at first, clumsily trailing behind but thankfully, he finds his pace and ends up settling beside Jaemin. He glances down and watches as Jaemin tighten his hold around Jeno's wrist. Jeno takes a second before he quietly slips out of Jaemin's tight grip quite easily, only to intertwine their fingers together in a comfortable grip.

Jeno doesn't miss the opportunity to look a little smug when Jaemin notices it and his cheeks become dusted with pink, clearly flustered from the action. Not everyone can make Jaemin shy like this so of course, Jeno would take pride in being able to see him in this kind of state.

They almost made their way out of the arcade but Jaemin halts all of a sudden, feet coming to a stop in front of another row of machines. And apparently, it's not like those game machines they saw when they weaved through inside the arcade, there are rows of crane machines, filled with soft plushies nicely placed inside.

"Look! They're so cute!" Jaemin pulls away from him and honestly speaking, Jeno feels a little cold at the side when Jaemin peeled himself away from him. He's definitely getting too used to having the younger boy around him, their hips practically glued together since they're always together (if Donghyuck and Renjun don't end up in between them whenever they walk together).

"Ah, I really want this." Jaemin sulks, bottom lip jutting out into a small pout as he gestures to one of the soft plushies inside the machine. Jeno follows closely from behind, gaze narrowing as if locking his target — his target is a small butrown bear, neatly sitting on top of other white and panda bears. Jeno can vaguely remember that the bears look like they're from a cartoon show that's growing quite popular already.

"You want that?" Jeno jabs his thumb at the brown bear and Jaemin nods his head eagerly, a pout still on his lips. From the back of his head, he can still spin the words in his mind that Renjun told him almost a week ago.

_"Yeah, you know that Nana likes plushies so much. You can be a cool guy and win him something like that."_

Right, he should definitely win that. If winning the plushie for Jaemin can lead him to winning Jaemin's heart (and probably a kiss too since he really wants it secretly), then he'll gladly do it.

"I'll win it for you." Jeno looks especially smug again and Jaemin arches a brow, clearly interested at the sound of his words.

"Really?"

"Really." Jeno nods his head in affirmation with a reassuring grin playing on his lips. Jaemin, this time, lets an amused expression appear on his face as he willingly steps aside, allowing Jeno to take his place in front of the machine.

Jeno slips in a quarter, watching the machine come life. He hesitates for a moment, heart beating wildly against his chest before he grabs the joystick, moving the claw carefully until it's placed directly on top of toy. He eagerly hits the button, waiting in excitement as the claw slowly descends on the plushie and his heart feels like it's at his throat, watching as it tries to grab hold of the toy.

It failed. Terribly.

The claw can barely even hold onto the toy, slowly making its way up again without the plushie. The bear is back on top again with the rest of the pile.

"Shit," Jeno mutters, staring miserably at the claw before he searches his pocket again, digging out a quarter. He can't let one failure let him get down — he needs to succeed or else, his chances with Jaemin might drastically fall to the ground. He doesn't want any of that.

"Hold on." Jeno says out loud as he slips in the quarter, the machine springing back to life as Jeno eagerly moves the claw again. Once again, he places it directly on top of the plushie, pushing down on the button. It descends too slowly for Jeno's liking but still, he watches in anticipation.

Nothing.

The claw did not get the toy. Again.

Jaemin can barely muffle the sound of his laugh as Jeno grumbles, mumbling incoherent words under his breath and slips in another quarter.

And another.

And another.

And another yet again.

The same disastrous results are presented to him — the plushie only moved to the side every now and then since the claw only hits it or almost carries it back up. Jeno thinks his luck is just spiraling downwards and he can't even face Jaemin, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he refuses to face the younger boy.

"You okay, Jeno? It's the ninth try already. It's fine—"

"No! I'll win this for you! This machine is just rigged!" Jeno whines almost instantly and Jaemin is grinning so wide, his eyes are crinkling yet again. Jeno can't help but feel like his heart skip a beat at the enthralling sight of his best friend's smile.

"Can I do it?" Jeno pursues his lips in a thin line, deep in thought. He holds back, hesitation running through his eyes before he gives up entirely, stepping aside to let Jaemin take over the machine. Jaemin slips in a quarter and the machine springs back to life again — the claw coming alive. Jaemin easily maneuvers it, moving the stick carefully until the claw is just at the right spot. He hits the button and Jeno sinks his teeth down on his bottom lip, watching as the claw slowly makes its way down.

The claw manages to grab hold of the bear's head and Jeno can feel his heartbeat quicken, knowing that the claw will malfunction halfway and let go of the bear. But the opposite happens.

The claw keeps a tight grip around the bear's head, moving to the side as it drops the toy through the box.

"What?" Jeno watches in disbelief as Jaemin bends over, taking the bear out of the box and holds it up for Jeno to see, paired with the smile playing on his lips, "that's impossible."

"You should have let me play first, Jen." Jaemin heaves a chuckle, glancing down the tiny plushie in his hand. He raises his head, gaze settling on Jeno with a grin as he reaches over to pull on his cheek before he makes Jeno open his hand, putting the toy in his palm.

"Huh, what are you doing? This is yours." Jeno splutters, fumbling for words as he tries to give it back to him. Jaemin shakes his head firmly, a gentle smile on his lips as he squeezes Jeno's hand before pushing his fingers to tighten his grip unknowingly around the soft plushie.

"It's for you. For being so sweet today."

"I—I—" Jeno stutters, cheeks dusted with red but he ultimately gives up, hiding the plushie in his hands.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Jaemin cheerily replies, an arm wrapped comfortably around Jeno's shoulder as he faces him with that dazzling smile of his. Jeno pretends that his heart isn't going wild again because of it.

"So, dinner?"

-

"I can't believe we only had ramen for dinner. You should have suggested some meat," Jaemin sniffles, taking a lick of his ice cream before he briefly directs his gaze at the boy beside him with an arched brow, "you know that I would have treated you to some."

"I was craving for ramen!" Jeno raises his hands defensively before taking a quick lick at his own ice cream, carefully not to let it drip on the floor. Jaemin can't help but allow a smile to tug on his lips as he watches his best friend struggle with his melting ice cream.

Jeno is too involved with trying not to spill the sweet treat that he didn't even register the way Jaemin's finger pressed along the side of his lips presumably wiping away the mess. He stiffens up once the realization hits him, cheeks flushed with pink as he tries to focus his attention on the ice cream but of course, he fails miserably. He can't believe his heart is beating so loudly against his rib cage while his face flares up in pure embarrassment.

"You had ice cream on your face." Jaemin nonchalantly wipes his fingers stained with the treat on a spare tissue but the growing grin on his lips betrays every emotion that he's trying to hide. It's fairly obvious how amused he is at how Jeno gets easily flustered over every action that he does. It's both fun and flattering that he can reduce Jeno to a melting mess, with his cheeks always red.

"So, Jen," Jaemin speaks up again, catching Jeno's attention once he recovers from the very brief breakdown he just had. He clears his throat, hoping that his voice would break before he spares a glance at the other boy, hoping that he doesn't look eager.

"Yeah?"

"You remember what you said to Hyuck and Injun a while ago?" Jeno swallows thickly, the heat crawling back to his face. Oh god, he badly wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole, never to be seen again. Yes, that sounds like an amazing idea.

"Is this a date?" Jaemin presses on once he realizes that Jeno has barely responded to him. His eyebrow is raised in both interest and curiosity as he tilts his head with a hum, watching as Jeno stumbles over his words again. Once again, Jaemin can't help but smile at the way his best friend gets easily shy over a simple question like that.

"Maybe? Or maybe not?"

"It's a yes or no question, Jen. I promise I won't get mad if you ever decide to answer no." Jaemin nonchalantly replies, taking a lick at his ice cream while Jeno mumbles a string of incoherent words. Jeno can't meet his gaze for a moment, glancing at his feet instead before he finally raises his eyes, seeing the hopeful expression written all over Jaemin's face. His heart unknowingly skips a beat because of it.

"Yes." Jeno dares himself to gaze at Jaemin with a steady gaze and the smile that Jaemin gives him is so, so bright and beautiful — he's sure that Jaemin's smile alone is enough to brighten up the entire place.

"It's a date then." Jaemin can't stop smiling at the thought of it and Jeno can't help but feel like his heart just skyrocketed out of his chest and fell to his feet a moment later. Jeno subtly takes a step closer to him and lets their fingers brush against each other's. The younger boy spares him a look, a smile still playing on the edges of his lips before their fingers easily slot through the empty spaces of their hands.

(Jeno has lost count of how many times Jaemin left him breathless with the biggest smile playing on his lips.)

-

It's the first time in a while that Jeno arrived to school with his heart fluttering like mad against his rib cage. His chest feels light, as if no problem in the world can make him feel less happier now.

_It's a date then._

Jeno feels giddy at the thought of it, the scene of Jaemin smiling so brightly at him that day keeps replaying in his head, to the point that he goes to bed and wakes up with the sweetest smile on his lips. Renjun and Donghyuck aren't afraid to point it out, noticing Jeno's odd behavior. They wouldn't bat an eyelash if Jeno would suddenly break out singing in the middle of the hallway because he looks incredibly elated.

"Are you and Nana dating now?" Those are the first words that left Renjun's lips, as soon as Jeno steps inside the deserted classroom. They've been using the very last classroom located at the third floor of the building since it's abandoned and the teachers barely hang around. They've long snatched that classroom as their official hang-out spot, if they're not busy studying in the library or eating their lunch at the cafeteria.

Jeno's cheeks are flushed at the sound of the question but still, he shakes his head. Renjun groans out loud, obviously impatient as he takes a seat on one of the empty chairs near him. Donghyuck arrives a minute later, not missing a beat to throw the same question to him.

"Are you and Nana—"

"No." Renjun and Jeno answers at the same time and Donghyuck rolls his eyes, dropping his backpack near the doorway before taking a seat next to Renjun.

"If you and Nana are not going to date then what's the point of living now?" Donghyuck whines and Jeno huffs loudly, choosing to take the seat in front of them so he can face them properly.

"Hyuck is right. It's so sad that all of us are single."

"Then go and date each other." Jeno nonchalantly suggests and both Renjun and Donghyuck widen their eyes at the idea. They lean forward, throwing a look at each other before bursting into a loud fit of laughter.

"Us? Date?" Renjun manages to say in between laughing loudly and wheezing, slapping a hand on Donghyuck's shoulder. Donghyuck imitates him — almost falling off his own chair because he's laughing too hard.

_Idiots._

"That's," Donghyuck wipes away the stray tear that fell from his eyes, barely able to hold back another fit of laughter from coming up, "ridiculous."

"Yeah, Jen. I'm actually offended that you think I would date him."

"Hey!" Donghyuck throws him an offended look and Renjun sticks out his tongue at him childishly. Jeno watches them, completely unamused over the tiny argument they're having.

"You know what, enough about our non-existent love life." Donghyuck points at Jeno and flashes him a mischievous grin. The older boy doesn't like that kind of look — who knows what kind of tricks Donghyuck has up in his sleeve.

"You're going on a third date, Lee Jeno."

**Author's Note:**

> the first chapter is up! thanks for reading and feel free to talk to me in [twitter.](http://twitter.com/jenosaints)


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